Nico Rosberg threw down the gauntlet as he made a blistering start to the British Grand Prix and outpaced Lewis Hamilton by seven-tenths of a second in Friday’s first practice, writes Byron Young at Silverstone.

That is one of the biggest margins between the Mercedes duo all season.

The German, who has beaten Britain’s main victory hope three races on the trot and has a 29 point lead, was the only driver to dip below one minute 35seconds at a Silverstone bathed in sunshine.

And he did most of the damage in the last of the three sectors of the Northamptonshire circuit.